At last week’s board of trustees meeting Hennessey Police Chief, Arron Pitts told the board, it’s time to replace one of our police cars. Several of the cars are starting to cost a lot of money in repairs. The last police car the town purchased was in 2020.
The town buys vehicles through the State Bid process. This is a way for municipalities to buy at a discount. Town Administration Tiffany Tillman said, “We have been working the State Bid System for about a year now and there are simply no Ford Explorer Police Interceptors packages available. The state is behind 200 cars right now.” (The Interceptor Package is a specially built vehicle for Police cars. They include heavier suspension, bigger engines and are pre-wired for lights and accessories.)
Tillman said, “The Ford Explorer went up $7000 making it the same price as the Tahoe. We have had all white Explorers but now we can’t get any Explorers at all.” Mayor Bert Gritz said, “I remember when we had a red, green, blue and a white one all at the same time, but I think it is important for them to match.”
Pitts said, “The Fords have a lot of miles on them, and at about 80,000 miles they’re done. The transmissions don’t last. The Sheriff’s office has several Tahoes with a lot of mileage and they are still going.”
Tillman told the board there is one interceptor Tahoe available but it is black. The Tahoe is larger and has more storage space. Gritz said, “The Tahoe is built on a truck chassis, whereas the Explorer is a lighter-duty passenger SUV.”
The board voted to purchase a new black Tahoe that will be built in May. It will have to be outfitted with lights, radios, and radar in OKC prior to use.
The money for this purchase has already been budgeted for 2023.
(Photo is only an example, and is not the actual vehicle)